Rocky Linux 8 is a Linux distribution created as an alternative to CentOS after the project was acquired by Red Hat and it was announced that support for CentOS 8 would be discontinued. The creators of Rocky Linux, led by CentOS lead developer Greg Kurtz, began work on the project in December 2020. and the first version of Rocky Linux 8 was released for public use in May 2021.
Rocky Linux 8 is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and is designed to provide a stable and secure operating system for enterprises and other users looking for a free alternative to RHEL. Rocky Linux version 8 offers many features, improved security support including SELinux and package signing, support for multiple architectures, system management tools, updated software packages, and improvements to the operating system kernel.